(Universal Music On Demand)

You can’t really go wrong with cover versions. They’ve been a staple of any music collection since before the days of Top of the Pops and Stars on 45 albums, even though the format has changed over the years.

But these days it’s not enough to simply perform a straight-up copy of another artist’s material, oh no, it’s all about putting a personal spin on it, leading to the creation of some pretty amazing interpretations.

Following in the tradition of the Live Lounge and the Dermot O’Leary Show, Radio 2 has opened The Piano Room, following the gift of a Yamaha DC7 grand piano by none other than Sir Elton John. The piano was to thank the station for its support over 40 years, to celebrate Elton’s contribution to music, and to inspire both new and established artists. Since then it has been used for many live performances, with musicians presenting stripped-back versions of either their own songs or classics by other artists.

There are so many highlights worthy of mentioning here, that it’s hard to resist merely publishing a track listing, but the really exceptional performances include Georgia On My Mind by Annie Lennox, Greg Porter’s rendition of Just The Way You Are, Elbow’s Lippy Kids, Hallelujah by Rufus Wainwright and the late George Michael’s version of Let Her Down Easy – his old friend Sir Elton would be proud…